The first pattern originated by Doug Prince that he named The Prince Nymph has 2 black goose biots (forked), fine silver oval tinsel rib, BLACK dyed ostrich herl body, 2 white goose biots for the wing and a black hackle. This is the pattern he named The Prince Nymph and unfortunately, the actual pattern got mixed up with a second fly he created that he called The Brown Forked Tail.

The Brown Forked Tail is what everyone now calls a Prince Nymph.

I became very interested in the history of patterns when I was writing my fly tying column and I used old pattern books (published closer to when the patterns were originally tied) and found some interesting tidbits.

Soooo.... you really aren't using a Prince Nymph if it has a peacock herl body, you're using a Brown Forked Tail.

Tie up some genuine Prince Nymphs and give them a try... they work!

Next quiz will be in regards to who originated the Royal Coachman and how... but that's for another thread.

The first pattern originated by Doug Prince that he named The Prince Nymph has 2 black goose biots (forked), fine silver oval tinsel rib, BLACK dyed ostrich herl body, 2 white goose biots for the wing and a black hackle. This is the pattern he named The Prince Nymph and unfortunately, the actual pattern got mixed up with a second fly he created that he called The Brown Forked Tail.

Yup. Eric Leiser was not only a fly tyer but a historian of fly patterns. In 1987 he published a book titled The Book of Fly Patterns. He gives a history of many of the patterns in the book. Sometimes, as time goes on, the real history gets a little skewed. The trick is to find pattern books that were published close to the time the originator of the patterns first tied them.

Doug Prince did indeed originate both patterns but for some reason, the black pattern disappeared and the Brown Forked Tail took the place of the Prince Nymph.

Scott has the pattern correct. THAT is a Prince Nymph. (I tie mine with a darker black body)

The next time you're in a fly shop, ask them for a Prince Nymph. When they try and sell you a Brown Forked Tail, tell them no, you want a Prince Nymph